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Monday, August 9, 2010

Delivering good times

In a perfect moment of synchronicity, a week before my girlfriend weekend away in Big Bear that was planned months ago, the fine folks over at Vons offer me some nice gift cards to experience and blog about their home delivery service. Wow, right!?! So, it's a no brainer for me to propose that I plan the menu and purchase all of the food and drink for our much needed getaway. My two traveling companions cheer a big "yes!!" without a moment of hesitation.

This makes me beyond happy for the following reasons: I find comfort in planning and organizing, I am good at it, I love to cook (especially when I can spoil my deserving and thankful girlfriends), I feel like I'm contributing in an important way, and we will all enjoy delicious and indulgent meals that we don't usually cook for ourselves at home (no fish sticks or tater tots on this trip!).

So, here it is, the simple but most excellent Girlfriend Weekend Way Menu:

Sunday lunch (sniffle...our last meal at the cabin) - mixed green salad with leftover salmon, cucumber, homegrown tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, and the last bit of French bread...and more chocolate because it's a girlfriend weekend away with no children around, for goodness sake!

Two days before we leave, and with my shopping list in hand, it's time to place my online order. Setting up my account is a breeze and so is shopping either by a search or by aisle. I easily find everything on my list plus extra snacks and drinks, including lots of organic options and most importantly, plenty of dark chocolate and milk chocolate varieties (scoring myself some major bonus points with the ladies). I even get $7 off my first order plus free delivery from my special Vons promotional code "SMLLSTFF", and you can all use my special code, too.

The morning of my getaway, as the friendly delivery guy hands me my bags of groceries, my main thought is "Why didn't I do this when I was exhausted and struggling with newborn twin babies with the darkest and scariest circles under my eyes and zero energy to go out in public and grocery shop?!" I'm not so horribly sleep deprived anymore, but instead I'm busy entertaining my energetic and demanding emotional seven year olds in the home stretch of a considerably long twelve week summer break with a glaring lack of time to myself and the last thing I want to do with my precious "me" time is run errands when I would rather go to yoga or shop for a cute new purse or hunt for thrift store treasures!

I am grateful and fortunate to be at home with my wonderful and precious children, but, well, can you tell I desperately need a weekend away with the girlfriends?!?

And that we did. The three of us stayed at one of the lady's neat rustic cabin, where we feasted on fantastic food (if I say so myself), good fortune and synchronicity, interesting books and magazines, great conversation, CHOCOLATE, a picturesque walk around the lake, fun shopping, lack of responsibility to anyone but ourselves, movies, neat wildlife viewings (bats!), facials, laughter, relaxation, and just the fact that we were away...together...as friends...as women...as ourselves.

Would love to use this service but they don't always have the things that I want that you can only get in the stores. I'm just about to try this for mom who doesn't get around much and shopping is really hard for her.

congrats on becoming a conquerer. don't all we moms just strive to be noticed...and by the grocery store no less! day in and day out we walk those aisles without any recognition and what a thankless job it is; and you broke free. you actually got them to your house with food in tow; you didn't even waste it on the kids and you were able to turn it into a meal that everyone loved. nobody hollered at you on the way to the store, nobody hollered at you for not buying candy in the check-out line, and nobody whined at the atrocious food you dared to prepare. you may be sainted for this act of: kid, grocery store and weekend getaway victory.

First of all, how WONDERFUL your weekend sounded! What a great idea! And, besides the relaxing/being with friends, the food sounds (and looks) AMAZING! Next, Vons' home delivery is the BEST! I was on crutches for the better part of a year and someone suggested I try their home delivery. OMG! Not only was it so convenient to order on line, the delivery guys actually would bring my orders into my kitchen for me! Prior to that, it would take me FOREVER to get my groceries from my car into my apartment on crutches (usually 5 trips to the car!). If you haven't tried this, do indulge! You'll love it! :)

I'm so happy you had such a nice weekend with your friends. What a treat to have your groceries delivered by Von's while you are busy getting ready for the trip! Geez, you are an amazing cook! (And mommy and daughter...) xoxoxox

I've never done online grocery shopping before. Sounds just too easy. Isn't there a badge of honor to be worn for chasing little buggers who take off down the aisle with a loaded cart, unable to see or direct the thing towering above their heads, straight at the little old man peering down at the selection of gelatin-covered fruit?Oh yeah. There's not. Well, I'll just have to overcome needing to be seen in my oh so attractive sweatpants and just try Vons' delivery!

LOVED your blog!! it was peaceful just reading it. i have a vons on my corner so i go there almost everyday (i can never remember to pick out things in advance!) i've always wanted to try vons online, my mother says it's amazing. she has difficulty walking and carrying groceries, so she orders regularly. the delivery person carries the groceries in, which helps even further. the weekend sounds so amazing, and the gourmet meals are always a major plus. BUT did you see Balthazar Getty and hummingbirds? hmmmmmm?

That sounds like a weekend us moms should have to take every once in a while, so glad you had a great time. I really like Vons for their prices, I find them cheaper than Ralphs and their produce is really good. Good delivery service - definitely worth trying out myself in the future.